Is American Literature Too Dark for TV?
The executive producer of Masterpiece says Jane Austen works a lot better on screen than Hemingway does.
'That's Good Enough': Words Hollywood Producers Should Never Say to Themselves
Brian Grazer has some rules for success. He hasn’t always followed them.
Should Google Always Tell the Truth?
Search-engine architects must decide when their creations should act as a kind of expert and when they should neutrally direct people to what they are seeking.
The Lasting Legacy of Antonin Scalia?
The justice has redefined how the Supreme Court interprets statutes, a former Acting Solicitor General of the United States says.
Empathy: Overrated?
Be kind, show understanding, do good—but, some scientists say, don’t try to feel others’ pain.
The ‘Deep Discomfort’ With Talking About Sexuality in a Religious Context
Can churches and synagogues and mosques draw in more Millennials by changing their teachings on gay marriage and other issues?
Pope Francis and the American Culture War
What would the pontiff say about feelings of religious persecution on the political right?
How Math Can Defeat Bullies
The mathematician John Allen Paulos marvels at his field’s counterintuitive proofs. Yet his earliest intellectual thrill was the discovery that numeracy could empower even a child.
Michael Eisner to Goldie Hawn: Most Beautiful Women Can't Be Funny
The Disney CEO and the Oscar-winning actress compare notes on Hollywood.
A Child's Future Shouldn't Hinge on Her Zip Code
Advocate Jim Steyer remembers what first sparked his desire to create an advocacy group for young people.
David Petraeus on Syria, Attacking Iran, and the Threat From ISIS
The retired general and former CIA director holds forth on the Middle East.
Rahm Emanuel: ‘I Am Not an Education Reformer’
The Chicago mayor just announced $200 million in school budget cuts and 1,400 staff lay-offs. What’s his plan for saving the Windy City’s public-education system?
The Saturday Night Live Theory of U.S.-Iran Relations
“I’m not a vegetarian because I love animals. I’m a vegetarian because I hate plants.”
The Local Consequences of Citizens United
The attorneys David Boies and Theodore Olson say new rules about political spending have most affected state and local elections. What does that mean for democracy?
Get the Police to Meditate
A University of Wisconsin professor suggests that mindfulness might be one way to reduce police violence.
Common Ground on Climate Change
When billionaires Tom Steyer, a climate-change activist, and David Koch, a confirmed skeptic, met for the first time, they found a basis for conversation.
Former NYPD Chief Ray Kelly Wants All New Cops to Get Bachelor's Degrees
The ex-commissioner, who blames minority communities for tension between police and civilians, also wants cops to try out body cameras.
My Brother's Keeper, but Maybe Not My Sister's
The White House is pushing a new initiative to keep young men of color out of prison and improve their outcomes. But what about young women?
How Parents Make High-Achieving Kids Miserable
Two writers with experience teaching at elite colleges perceive an epidemic of conditional love that is damaging the ability of students to lead happy lives.
Valerie Jarrett: Why Should Obama Bear the Burden of Talking About Race?
One of the president's closest advisors defends him against the charge that he has held back when addressing the subject.
The American Dream Is Suffering, but Americans Are Satisfied: 15 Charts
A new poll reveals that although Americans think obstacles to advancement are more severe than ever, they still believe hard work can overcome them.
The Dilemma of Math
Is it just a ticket to a good job, or is it the key to unlocking a secret world of beauty?
The Golden Age of Post-Television
Netflix’s content chief Ted Sarandos says the company isn’t trying to outdo TV, it’s trying to do something completely different.
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A Paradox of American Religion: Diversity Brings Tolerance
The journalist Naomi Schaefer Riley marvels at how well people of different faiths get along in this country.
Paintings Are Objects That Are Bought and Sold
A Marxist take on art that can inform every field of human study.
The Cheerful Belligerence of Lindsey Graham
The Republican presidential candidate explains why he would threaten Iran with war and send U.S. ground troops into Syria and Iraq.
The Origins of 'Fundamentalism'
The word came into popular usage in the 1920s, but it’s used quite differently today.
What Diversity Means to a Black Southerner at The New York Times
The New York Times columnist and book author Charles Blow reflects on the many aspects of his identity and how they inflect his work.
Why the Obama Administration Changed Its Hostage Policy
A candid explanation from Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes
Lindsey Graham Hates the GOP's Immigration Rhetoric
The senator accused some of his Republican rivals of being “mean” when they talk about immigrants––and doesn’t think his openness to amnesty will sink his primary campaign.
The Satisfaction of an Inventor
UCLA Chancellor Gene D. Block remembers an attempt to reduce infant deaths.
Move Over, Shakespeare—Science Has Insights Into Love, Too
The notion of using scientific methods to illuminate matters of the heart was once ridiculed, but has been vindicated in recent years.
Why Teenagers Hit Puberty and Take Dumb Risks
In adolescence, the brain’s reward centers light up when acting recklessly in front of peers.
Is the Premise of Meritocracy Immoral?
A challenge to the widely held notion that the power of brains is more legitimate than the power of fists.
The Region That's Really Driving Obama's Foreign Policy
It’s not the Middle East, according to Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes.
Lessons From Thomas Jefferson's Failure on Slavery
Why did the author of the Declaration of Independence fail to attack slavery as president? In large part because he was a politician.
The Senate's Bathroom-Stall Index
One measure of America’s slow progress toward boosting the number of women in elective office is the number of toilets in the congressional restrooms.
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Frankenstein for President
The ideal Republican nominee doesn't necessarily exist, but among the dozen or so candidates in the race, the GOP still has a strong chance of winning the White House, two conservatives suggest.
Putting Guns in the Hands of Artists
A New Orleans art project aims to comment on deadly weapons from America’s streets–and to transform how they’re seen by young men at risk of violence.
The Downside of Medical Screening
Depending on the disease, getting tested could do more harm than good.
Youth as a Force for Peace
Three winners of the Peace First Prize illustrate how young people are often the engine for world-changing collective action.
Federal Judge: My Drug War Sentences Were ‘Unfair and Disproportionate’
Nancy Gertner, who left the bench after 17 years, compares the damage caused by drug prohibition to the destruction of cities in World War II.
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What Idea or Insight Has Thrilled You?
A question for readers as the Aspen Ideas Festival begins.
In Death, Maximizing Control and Minimizing Suffering
How would you prefer to die? And how can doctors make that a reality?
Kathleen Sebelius on King v. Burwell: Obamacare Is Here to Stay
With the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling, the battle moves from the courts back to the political arena.
Preventing Food Poisoning in the Age of a Globalized Food Supply
The government can’t realistically put an inspector in every factory. So what’s the solution?
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The NFL Is Evil—and Unstoppable
Despite incidents of cheating, taxpayer fleecing, domestic abuse, brain damage, and suicide, America can’t stop watching professional football.
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Silicon Valley Is Not a Force for Good
A sector that once promised revolutionary change is finally hitting its backlash.
The Nightmare of Cable TV Is Over
America is living in a golden age of television, largely in thanks to cord cutting.
Americans Are Okay With Surveillance and Torture
In the face of damning evidence against U.S. officials, the country has shrugged.
The Cold War Never Really Ended
For the first time in a decade, Russia spent a higher portion of its GDP on defense than the U.S. in 2013.
Sex on Campus Is Impossible
The complicated reality of consent
The Tricks People Use to Avoid Debate
In the art of evading meaningful policy discussions, all political camps have honed their particular styles.
There Is No Post-Racial America
The United States needs more than a good president to erase centuries of violence.
Inequality Is Enemy No. 1
The urgency of fixing income disparities around the world
More Ideas of the Year
From selfie sticks and wristwatches and to kale and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Old People Are Cool
The effortless hipness of senior citizens.
Why Global Religious Conflict Won’t End
As long as people interpret texts literally, religion will be a source of conflict.